Ernie Bishop
Ernest Gordon Bishop (on occasions, he was known as Ernie) was a character in Coronation Street from Ep 702 - 6 Sep 1967 to Ep 1773 - 11 Jan 1978. He was the husband of Emily Bishop and was a keen photographer. He worked as a wages clerk at Baldwin's Casuals, Coronation Street. He was shot dead by Ed Jackson in a wages snatch in 1978. Ernie was played by actor Stephen Hancock. Biography Backstory 1967-1978 Ernie Bishop arrived in 1967 to take photos at the wedding of Elsie Tanner to American Steve Tanner. He started dating Emily Nugent in 1969 at his mum's funeral. Ernie was a photographer. In 1972 he married Emily. Ernie did turn on friend Stan Ogden when he was accused of being a peeping tom. The real culprit was caught. In 1976, new factory boss Mike Baldwin offered Ernie a job as wages clerk. In January 1978, Ernie and Mike were being followed in their car by 2 young lads who worked at Mike's factory. When Ernie was sorting out the wages, the said 2 lads, Dave Lester and Ed Jackson (Tommo) walked in brandishing a gun. They asked Ernie to hand them the bag of money. Baldwin walked in to see how Ernie was doing and accidentally nudged Tommo's arm. The gun went off and Ernie was shot in the chest. Dave and Tommo legged it and Ernie was rushed to hospital. He later died on the operating table when the surgeons were trying to remove the bullet. A surgeon had to break the bad news to Emily. Aftermath of death Emily was left distraught by Ernie's death. His killers Dave and Tommo were arrested a few days after the shooting, and were charged with Ernie's murder, and they were remanded in custody. In February 1978, Emily said she has to accept that Ernie is dead. She returned to work at the hospital where Ernie died and had to try to get on with her life. Ernie's killers were given life sentences (15 years) in March 1978. Dave and Tommo were told they would be out in about 8 or 9 years so were released circa 1986/1987. Legacy Emily soon had to come to terms with Ernie's death. She made sure his memory was preserved. Years later, she heard a gunshot in one of the houses in Coronation Street during a standoff. It reminded her of when Ernie was shot. Emily recollected how she turned up at the scene after hearing the news of his shooting, and Hilda Ogden saying "This is the wife". In 2006, 28 years after Ernie died, his killer Tommo sneaked his way back into her life by attending church with her, not telling her who he really is. He later said he was Ernie's killer. Emily later forgave Ed Jackson. She gave him Ernie's old camera and told him she never wanted to see him again face to face, but to send her a photo ever year to show he was alive. Emily often mentioned Ernie to her friends and neighbours. Emily left for Peru in January 2016 then onwards to Scotland. Her neighbours and niece by marriage Freda Burgess keeps an eye on her house in Coronation Street. A photo of Ernie and Emily is seen on Emily's sideboard in her lounge as of 2019. Emily is still living in Scotland. Trivia Memorable info Born: 11th August 1930 Died: 11 January 1978 Full Name: Ernest Gordon Bishop Parents: George Bishop and Caroline Bishop Siblings: Edie Burgess (Nee Bishop) Spouse: Emily Nugent (1972-1978) Children: None Nieces: Freda Burgess Category:Coronation Street Characters. Category:Past characters. Category:Characters first seen in 1967. Category:Characters last seen in 1978. Category:Bishops. Category:Photographers Category:Baldwins Casuals Factory Staff Category:1930 Births Category:1972 Marriages Category:1978 Deaths Category:Deceased characters Category:Murder Victims